


The Happiest Couple That Never Was

by PotionsMistressM



Category: Pretty Little Liars
Genre: Community: liarsland, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-08
Updated: 2013-11-08
Packaged: 2017-12-31 20:17:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1035951
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PotionsMistressM/pseuds/PotionsMistressM
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There are exactly twelve pictures of Hanna in the yearbook, but Lucas has a favorite.  Written for a challenge at liarsland on livejournal, with <a href="http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa423/inabsentialuci/Gifs/Pretty%20Little%20Liars/tumblr_lmcqioYPpW1qczjlgo1_500.gif">this as the prompt.</a></p>
            </blockquote>





	The Happiest Couple That Never Was

There were exactly twelve pictures of Hanna in the yearbook- more than any other student except for Dave Schweiber, the Valedictorian/Prom King/Football Captain/Fellowship of Christian Athletes President. There was, of course, her school picture ( _Ugh, I look like a manatee_ ), a candid picture of her and her friends in the juniors' section of the book, a ton of pictures, posed and candid from Homecoming, and- Lucas's favorite- the group photo of the yearbook staff.

Normally the yearbook photos for activities were taken on a long, curving staircase that connected the two floors of what in a normal school would be called a library, but which in Rosewood was called a "learning center." For some reason, though, this year's editor had decided that portrait-oriented photos were _so_ the past two years and had decided to go back to the good old landscape style. He was a hipster and probably thought it would be oh-so-very-retro and so much more ironically cool. And so Hanna, Lucas, and the rest of the yearbook staff had left class at the appointed time and shuffled into the choir room to pose in a jumble, seated on the risers the choirs stood on during practice. There had really been no question of whether Hanna would sit next to him for the picture. The other yearbook staff liked her well enough, and the groups were civil, but Lucas was under the distinct impression that both she and the other yearbook kids felt they didn't speak the other's language. Lucas was the designated interpreter, even though Hanna really didn't hang out with anyone but Aria, Emily, and Spencer.

Hanna had insisted that they sit in the back row ( _Sitting hunched over on these stupid risers are going to make me look pregnant!_ ), and the two of them had taken up residence at the end of the third row. Unlike the cadid and event photos in the yearbook, all activity pictures were taken by a professional photographer, and that photographer was looking decidedly harried by the time the yearbook kids- the last group of the day- flopped down on the risers.

"Closer," he kept directing, and the kids kept scrunching, though it never seemed to be enough. As they were sitting there, waiting to get everything exactly right, the last bell of the day sounded. The school day was over, and even the well-behaved kids of a kinda-sorta academic club began to fidget impatiently. Whispers between girls led to giggles, which led to more exasperated direction from the photographer.

"The sooner we get this picture taken, the sooner you can leave, ladies and gentlemen," the photographer cajoled, and Lucas had a feeling he was just as eager as the kids for this day to be over. He called for the group to scooch closer yet again, and to his left Lucas heard Hanna huff. She would be rolling her eyes. Lucas knew the sound that preceeded a Hanna eye roll very well by now. Turning to her, he smirked.

"I know, you can sit on my lap. That should be close enough for him." Hanna had swatted his chest but beamed at him anyway as she slid along the riser again, this time so close her thigh rubbed against his. She half-turned so that she wasn't facing the camera head-on and slipped her arm around Lucas's waist, tilting her head toward his shoulder.

"This'll be close enough," she said, turning her face back to the camera while leaving her body twisted. It made you look skinnier, she'd told him once. She'd seen it on an _E! News_ report about posing for the red carpet. She didn't even squirm or wiggle when Lucas's arm came around her waist, pulling the two of them closer to each other and just that much further apart from the rest of the group. 

After what seemed like an eternity, the photographer had done the obligatory countdown, and after several flashes and a couple of "one more time"s, the group was dismissed. And what had resulted was Lucas's favorite picture in the whole of the entire yearbook.

At the end of the top row, there he was, with the Homecoming Queen, their arms around each other and grinning like fools. Of course, Hanna didn't look like a fool. Hanna looked like a goddess. Hanna _always_ looked like a goddess. But she looked happy, happier than he'd seen her in a while, and happy _with him_. Her head tilted just the slightest bit into his, and his eyes skewed away from the camera and toward her the tiniest bit. It was probably the best picture he'd even seen in his life.

He'd sneakily copied it to a zip drive when it had first come across his desktop for placement in the yearbook, and now, at home, he fired up his Photoshop. Skillfully, he carefully cropped the photo so that it was no longer a photo of the yearbook staff, but of him and Hanna, the happiest couple that never was. After a few more careful edits, Lucas printed out the now-perfect 4x6 snapshot. Pulling it from the printer, he admired it for a little while. She liked him. That was the worst part. She actually enjoyed his company. She liked hanging out with him. To his mind, that pretty much meant that they would make an awesome couple. But for whatever reason she just didn't like him _like that_.

Lucas sighed and reached for one of the few frames he had in his bedroom. For someone who liked to take pictures so much, it was strange how few of them actually decorated his room. He supposed it was because he'd always enjoyed taking pictures of other people way more than he liked anyone taking pictures of him. But as he carefully dislodged the current photo from the frame (the one from last year's Philadelphia Comic Con where he'd actually met Marina Sirtis from _Star Trek_ ), he couldn't help but smile. He could be happy with Hanna being his friend, right? Especially if she looked so fucking gorgeous while she was doing it.


End file.
